Las VegasIn one of the most unique Sin City experiences yet,groups get to move the earth on Caterpillar big rigs

By Kinley Welly

Ed Mumm (below), owner of Dig This, wants Las Vegas groups to pound
out their aggression on his five-acre site akin to a super-sized sandbox

Dig This!

Las Vegas might be an adult play- ground, but even it has never seen anything quite like Dig This.

How does one get the idea to start a
heavy equipment playground, where guests
pay to play on 15-ton Caterpillar
315CL excavators and 10-ton
Caterpillar D5 bulldozers?

For Dig This owner Ed
Mumm, the lightbulb
came on in 2005,
when he was building a house and was
floored by contractors’
quotes for work. He
and a friend ended up
doing the work themselves and realized how
fun it is to play with big rigs.

Dig This opened in 2007 inSteamboat Springs, CO, but Mummwas lured to Las Vegas largely because ofthe access to groups. The number of meet-ings and conventions in Las Vegas “totallydwarfs the number in Colorado,” he says.“You have the world coming here.”Dig This officially opened its Las Vegasoperation in May. Every experience beginswith a classroom orientation, followed bya safety and equipment overview, anin-cab orientation, a warm-up, and thenthe activity. Participants don’t needdriver’s licenses, but they do need to sign awaiver form (Mumm notes that the com-pany has an impeccable safety record), andit helps if they have a little pent-up aggres-sion before embarking on their earth-
r s

moving adventure.

The experience takes place on five acres
of land located five minutes off the Strip.

Programs run for 90 minutes (Mini Dig),three hours (Big Dig—the most popularchoice), and five hours (Mega Dig).For groups, Mumm says thecompany prides itself on tai-loring teambuilding pro-grams. “We really mix itup and try to focus onwhat teambuilding isreally about—organiza-tion and communica-tion,” he says. “Theyare very intense, andeveryone is working; noone is standing around.”According to Mumm, theideal group size for a Dig Thisteambuilding activity is 30 to 40participants. And for those who thinkthat this is clearly an experience for men,Mumm is quick to point out that 50 per-cent of Dig This clients are women.

Dig This has partnered with local hospitality suppliers to put together combination
group programs like Excavate and Exfoliate (a Dig This experience followed by a
visit to the spa at the Trump International
Hotel), Dig and Destroy (bulldozing and
shooting at the Gun Store range), and Dig
and Dine (a wheels-and-meal pairing at the
Margaritaville). ■